Sunday, March 28, 2010

Nature’s ok, I guess, but it’s no Disneyland. Sure, both have a Matterhorn, but only on the top of one can you to see all Anaheim and the distant land of Fullerton. Hark! Buena Park!

I’ve found nature isn’t so – well, boring – when you zoom by the natural stuff. That’s why I got my mountain bike. If god had meant us to hike, why did Goodrich make tires? To be honest, it’s usually not much of a zoom on the way up, that’s more of a front-wheel wiggle and stop, but I make up for it on the way down. Either way it scares the shit out of the bipeds -- still, even that gets old after awhile.

So, as I usually wiggle up Altadena’s Echo Mountain and zoom back down again, I wondered – what’s missing around here? Why does this joint feel as disappointing as the last revolution on the teacup ride? Where’s our Pleasure Island? Then it hit me, hit me as hard as the time I got drunk and tried to stand up in Space Mountain: Where’s the bike toss? The bike limbo? Where the hell are the kiosks and pancakes?

How the flippin' heck did they get permission to flip pancakes in the Cobb Estate area? And toss bikes, and limbo? Farnsworth Park is ideal for this and just a short bike toss down the road. And there's no risk of setting the area on fire while making pancakes.

They're trying to manipulate public opinion onto their side. Down the road (or should I say trail) when complaints are waged about the damage mountain bikes cause they'll bring this "trail building business" up as a defence.There is always an agenda behind these events.

In truth I don't mind sharing the fire trails with bikers but it's the goat trails with the switch backs that are such a danger to bipeds and horses. You don't even know their coming until your diving over you.

She tells of how and why the people struggled to acquire the Cobb Estate from developers, and how Virginia Steele Scott swooped in like an angel at the last minute and made it all happen. Zack states, "The land was signed over on Dec. 13th, 1971, to the U.S. Forest Service. The gift was accepted with a guarantee that nothing would be done to the CobbEstate except as it would enhance wildlife. No park structures, rest rooms, soccer fields, or picnic tables will intrude there; but citizens shall always be able to enjoy this wild spot at the top of town, and hikers will always be able to access trails into the mountains across the Cobb Estate."

If anyone gives permissions there, it is likely the Forest Service, and it sounds to me like this event sounds like it goes against the charter. I don't hear anything in the phrase "bike toss" that enhances nature.

Cobb Estate is not a location that should be used to promote special interests and commercial interests, even if the group does promise to kick in for some trail maintenance. As others have mentioned, there are plenty of public parks w/tables and fields and whatever else they need.

Oh, so the event was approved by our US Forestry Service, apparently. I guess John Muir is not everyone's cup of tea. After the pancakes, the FS will amend the motto to: "Take nothing but pictures, thumbs up on footprints and crap."

Raise some good ol' South Pasadena-style hell with the Forest Service!

The last few years, in August, there has been a pancake breakfast and mountain bike race with live music and some booths of various kinds that starts and finishes in Loma Alta Park at the top of Lincoln. This event seems like it's trying to copy that. The Loma Alta event is very low key, and certainly not on grounds where such activities are prohibited.

WV: prestr. You gotta prestr those SOBs until they stop this nonsense!

These could be the same people, Mr. Earl. Perhaps they've moved location because the Sunset trail above Millard canyon, which can be accessed from Loma Alta Park, has burnt down. The Angeles National Forest motto is "Land of Many Uses," but I like yours better, Karin.

Are we all having pancakes there? Who'd wanna miss pancakes at the sanctuary. (best use of 'brain on drugs' I've ever seen).BTW, did you know that there is a Matterhorn in Switzerland & neighboring counties that was modeled after the one in Disneyland. Honest.

Maybe the Forest Service can explain why the Cobb Estate is being used for this event.

I was looking at the website of the Mt. Wilson Bicycling Association. They were formed as a way of keeping the mountain bikers under control because there was a threat to ban them from the trails altogether.

The event at Loma Alta on Lincoln in August is called The Annual Naked Crow Mountain Bike Challenge. It's only been going for about 3 years. It's and actual race, and they don't toss or limbo their bikes Different event than this, but I'm sure a lot of the same bikers are involved and they use the leftover batter from this event.

Are you folks for real? Hikers are the ones that cause me the most trouble in maintaining Lower Sam. Do you know that it is a mountain biker that has been maintaining The Lower Sam for over ten years. With help from other bikers and a couple hikers. We left The Cobb cleaner than when we started. Get out and do something useful. Quit whinning.

I help Mark and have been jogging or biking the trail there for nearly 30 years. No question some bikers come down too fast, I don't ride lower Sam Merrill on weekends at all. Bikes generally cause less damage than hikers or horses but we don't try to keep them off trails. My main beef is that photo is NOT of a MWBA once a year event or even at Cobb Estate.

And you are a writer? Ok. I've never run into anyone. Nor have I ever entered a race. Not my thing to do on a bike. The Breakfast's raise money to buy tools for the volunteer groups. Those are people that give their time to clear trails of brush and dirt/rock slides on trails in the ANF. How many hours of the year do you all come out and give to your fellow man?

I appreciate the volunteers (I've seen them in their Forest Service garb) who maintain the Sam Merrill Trail. I never hike that trail on weekends anymore because it's too popular. Any time I do hike it I carry a plastic bag for picking up trash (yeah, Mark, I'm just another hiker out causing trouble).

Look, there are jerks in both categories--bikers who barrel down the hill at the peril of children and old people, hikers who toss their plastic bottles into the bushes. They're all scumbags if you ask me.

Karin's post wasn't critical of people. It was critical of the event. Considering the promises made by the Forest Service and with Farnsworth Park right down the street, to some of us it seemed way out of line. Considering how much work the volunteers have put in, I'm surprised they weren't outraged, too.

Why would I be outraged at the time I/we spent cleaning up the Estate area we did for the breakfast. A lot of my regulars stopped by the breakfast to show their support of what us volunteers give so they can hike a great trail. It's this complaining that makes me question why since 1991 I've been doing trail work. Why for the past 3 years have I spent most every Sat. beating myself up doing trail work somewhere in the forest. The area we cleaned is now more inviting for folks to use. One could take the dog and a cup of coffee and sit at the steps and look out over a clean area to ponder the day. We left it in better shape. Enhance wildlife? I pick up after them too. All their bottles, cig butts, and whatever.